<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>invisible strings. by snazzy_23</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25669570">invisible strings.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/snazzy_23/pseuds/snazzy_23'>snazzy_23</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>song fics technically series [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, One Shot, Songfic, Timeskips, alternative universe, teeny weeny angst, this could very well be a plot for a john green book</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:20:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25669570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/snazzy_23/pseuds/snazzy_23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aman meets a person whose life is tied to his with an invisible string on a spring evening.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kartik Singh/Aman Tripathi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>song fics technically series [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849813</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>invisible strings.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this was supposed to be short one-shot but then i kept going and now its at nearly 2.8k words, yikes.<br/>anyways, the song suggestion came from the very amazing smzs_fanfics_fanpage on ig, seriously whoever you are, you are doing the god's work so thank you.<br/>title and plot based on taylor swift's invisible strings</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>One spring evening, a 16-year-old Aman sat on the green grass. His eyes were focused on the book in front of him. He flips through the pages as he imagines all the events in his mind. At certain points, he looks up from his book to see people enjoying their time around him with their friends and families. But here Aman was, all alone. He wished someone would come up to him but at the same time, he found solace in being alone with his book. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He does this thing quite frequently. He comes to the park and finds a quiet corner to sit and enjoy his latest obsession. Currently, it's the book he is holding in his hand. Sometimes, his sister tags along with him but she runs off to play with kids her age while Aman sits there either keeping himself busy with his things or keeping an eye out for his sister. It’s a simple routine, but for Aman, this is the best part of his day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It is one of those where his sister tagged along with him. She runs up to him after she is done and complains about being too tired. Aman gives her a smile and gets up from his spot. He dusts off the grass from the back of his jeans and holds his hand out for her. She takes his hand and the two make their way out of the park. As they are walking, his sister spots a small frozen yogurt shop in the corner and pulls him towards the shop. He tries to complain and stop her but one look at her puppy dog eyes has his heart melting into a puddle. He sighs and agrees. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They make their way into the shop and she runs towards the counter. Aman follows her and is welcomed by the sight of an empty shop and a boy in a white T-shirt and jeans with an apron tied to his waist standing on the other side of the counter. The boy smiles at the two of them and points at the small board where there is a handwritten menu. His sister points at the one she wants and the boy laughs before leaving to prepare her request. The laugh rings in Aman’s ears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy returns with his sister’s order and looks at him as if asking him what he would like. Aman just shakes his head and pulls out the money handing it to the boy who takes it with a bright smile on his face. Aman feels as if he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. The boy’s laugh and his bright smile stay with Aman for the rest of the day. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The next day, Aman decides to pay another visit to the small yogurt shop. Like yesterday, the place is empty except for the boy. The boy is sitting on a chair on the other side of the counter, a book in his hand. He looks up from the book when he hears the door open and gets a bright smile on his face when he spots Aman. Aman returns the smile with an awkward smile of his own and makes his way over to the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like yesterday, the boy points to the board and Aman reads through it. The items on the menu were a little different from yesterday. Aman decides the one he wants and points at it. The boy gives him a salute which makes both of them giggle a little and goes to prepare Aman’s order. After a while, he comes back holding two cups and Aman looks at him with a questioning look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s my break time so I thought we could have a talk for sometime? That is if you don’t have anywhere to be,” the boy answers his question with a sheepish smile on his face. Aman notices the boy has a beautiful voice. It feels like music to Aman’s ears and Aman wants to hear more of it. So he nods his head and lets the boy lead him to one of the tables that are placed in the shop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Kartik, Kartik Singh,” the boy says as they both sit down in the chair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aman Tripathi,” Aman answers in a quiet voice. Thankfully the shop was quiet or else Kartik wouldn’t have heard him. His face lights up when he hears Aman’s voice and whispers Aman’s name as if he is trying to test how it feels. The two say nothing for a few moments enjoying their yogurt in the comfortable silence.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So Aman, are you from around here?” Kartik asks after a while and Aman gives him a nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about you?” Aman asks in a soft voice. He doesn’t know why his voice is doing that but he feels like if he speaks louder, they might break the comfortable silence that surrounds them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m originally from Delhi. But my parents move around a lot so we are here right now,” Kartik answers and Aman nods not knowing how to reply to that. They sit in silence for some more moments and Aman starts feeling a little awkward. He clears his throat and asks Kartik, “is this shop yours?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kartik’s face lights up when Aman asks that question and he starts explaining how the owner of the shop is an extremely old lady who can’t work anymore so he looks after the shop for her and gets paid for it. After that, the conversation flows smoothly. They talk about their interests, schools, family life, and small details. By the time Aman leaves the yogurt shop, his face hurts from the amount of smiling he did. But it was all worth it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From that day, Kartik and Aman became friends. Every evening, Aman finishes his reading at the park and goes to the shop. There, he and Kartik would sit and talk for hours, sometimes Kartik would make them something special. Somedays, Aman would stay till late and help Kartik close up the shop and walk home with him. On Kartik’s day-offs, he would come to the park with Aman where the two would enjoy the fresh air as they sat there and read their books in silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One winter morning, a freshly 18-year-old Kartik knocks on Aman’s door. He holds a car key in his hand and looks at Aman with a wide smile. Aman looks at him with the question clear on his face and Kartik explains that he convinced his parents to let him go on a road trip. But he didn’t want to go alone so he asked Aman to tag along with him. Aman tries to use the excuse of his parents not allowing him to go but just then his father walks out and hands him some money. Aman sighs in defeat and goes to his room to pack his bag. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because of that one road trip, Kartik and Aman made it their yearly tradition to go on road trips for each other’s birthdays. On one such road trip, a 20-year-old Aman and a 21-year-old Kartik are sitting at their regular table at their regular diner which falls on the way to their destination. The waitress walks over to them and looks at Kartik with a smirk on his face. That makes Aman feel a little weird but he can’t exactly identify what he’s feeling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both place their regular orders and the waitress leaves. Aman lets out a sigh of relief which makes Kartik look at him but he just waves Kartik off. When the waitress comes back, she places the orders in front of them and looks at Kartik before asking, “will you need anything else, sweetheart?” in the fakest sweet voice Aman has ever heard. Aman realizes that she is trying to flirt with Kartik and that makes him a little annoyed. Kartik politely declines her offer and she walks away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do realize that she’s flirting with you, right?” Aman asks once she is at a safe distance from them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh, what? Flirting? Why?” Kartik asks and looks in the direction of where the waitress went to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, I don’t know? Maybe it's because she finds you attractive,” Aman answers sarcastically and rolls his eyes which makes Kartik laugh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s okay I guess?” Kartik says and digs into his food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to talk to her?” Aman asks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah. she’s not my type,” Kartik answers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then what is your type?” Aman asks, looking at Kartik who just gives him a smile instead of a reply. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>5 days later, Aman walks to the shop on his way from the park and sees it’s closed. In his four years of knowing Kartik, this has only happened one time when Kartik was too sick to get out of his bed. Aman thinks that Kartik fell sick again and makes his way to Kartik’s home. There he learns that Kartik ran away. Kartik’s father gives him no explanation of any sort and just tells him to never come back there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aman walks back home with a single thought in mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why didn’t he tell me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>As soon as he gets home and inside his room, he breaks. He falls on his knees and starts crying. He pulls out his phone from his pocket and tries to dial Kartik’s number. The operator tells him that number is switched off. Aman throws his phone on his bed and puts his head on his knees and starts sobbing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After that day, Aman stops going to the park. He falls into a monotonous routine of going to college and coming home. His family is worried about him but Aman can’t bring himself to care about any of them. He finds himself only caring about one person, Kartik. Aman still waits for Kartik to come back. He longs to hear that angelic laugh and that sweet voice again. Few years pass by and Aman sees no signs of Kartik returning. He tries going out and finding more people to be friends with or maybe even fall in love with. But none of them are Kartik. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, it is hard to forget your first love. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One summer morning, a 29-year-old Aman walks into the huge intimidating building and takes a deep breath. After trying for so many months, he finally scored an interview at this company in Delhi. If he gets the job, he can finally move away from his hometown and all memories that town holds him. He walks over to the reception and gives them his name and the lady lets him know that his interview starts in 15 minutes. She lets him know the place where the interview is being held and Aman nods before walking towards the elevator. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gets off the elevator on the 20th floor and walks around looking at the door where the labels are placed. He doesn’t look forward and crashes into something. Or well someone. He steps back and starts apologizing to the person he just crashed into. When he doesn’t get a reply, he looks up and sees a man, slightly taller than him, dressed in a simple blue shirt with dress pants. The man’s face looks familiar and Aman realizes that he isn’t the only one who is thinking that when he looks at the man’s expression. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man’s face lights up when he gets the answers he was looking for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you Aman? Aman Tripathi?” the man asks and Aman nods. Just as he is about to ask how the man knew his name, the bright smile on the man’s face clicks in his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kartik?” he whispers and the man nods. Aman gets closer to the man and wraps his arms around his waist. Aman places his head on Kartik’s chest and lets out a sigh in relief. Kartik wraps his arms around Aman’s back and squeezes him tight. They both whisper small ‘i missed you’s’ against each other's skin as they try to hold back their tears. They pull back after a while and Aman looks at his watch. He has about 5 minutes for his interview. Kartik pulls out his phone and hands it to Aman who puts his number in it. They part ways with the promise of meeting each other soon. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few days later, they meet up at a cafe near the office. The two sit in silence for some time because none of them know where to know. Aman has too many questions from Kartik but he can’t bring himself to ask any of them. He just wants to skip this awkwardness and go back to how things were before. But he also realizes that this step is necessary. He takes a deep breath and says,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a lot of questions for you,” at the same time as Kartik says, “I’m sure you have a lot of questions,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two pause a second hoping that the other would continue. But when they both realize no one is speaking up, Kartik raises his hands as if to say that he wants to go first. Aman nods and signals him to continue. Kartik tells him that he didn’t leave his house or run away as his father said. He got kicked out of his house because he came out as gay. As soon as Kartik says that, a look of panic crosses his face. He looks at Aman with a scared expression as if he is waiting for Aman to call him names and leave him. Instead, Aman gives him a smile and gestures him to go on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kartik tells him how he went to the shop owner to let her know that he won’t be able to continue working there and how she handed him some extra money which he used to come to Delhi. He apologizes to Aman for not keeping in contact with him because Kartik thought his father must have told Aman about his sexuality which would have made Aman hate Kartik. Kartik told him how he couldn’t bear to hear Aman say he hated him so he didn’t contact him at all. Aman’s heart hurts hearing all of this. There was no way he could hate Kartik. Especially for that reason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, I would be a hypocrite if I hated you for being gay,” Aman says once everything goes silent again. That makes Kartik look at Aman with his eyes wide. Aman just gives him a huge smile and a nod to answer that question that is probably in Kartik’s head at the moment. Just then, Aman remembers something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, maybe now you can tell me what your type is?” Aman asks with a smirk. Kartik looks at him and tries to make sense of Aman’s question. Aman can see Kartik’s head gears turning and a light bulb lighting up above Kartik’s head as he figures out what Aman is talking about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You,” is all he says. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>One autumn evening, a 40-year-old Aman and 41-year-old Kartik are walking through the park holding hands. The two are pointing at places and reminiscing on the memories they made in that particular place. As they continue walking around, something from above falls on Kartik’s head. He takes it from his head and moves it to the front so that they both can see what it was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>A leaf that was gold. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of throwing it away, Kartik takes the leaf and places it in his pocket. When Aman looks at him with a question clear on his face, he just shrugs and says, “memories” which earns him a slap on the shoulder. Kartik laughs and places a soft kiss on Aman’s forehead. The two continue walking through the park. Once they leave, they make their way towards the place where the frozen yogurt shop still stands. The two look at each other with a smile and make their way inside while still holding hands. Once inside, they look at the girl who is sitting behind the counter scrolling through her phone. When she sees them, she gives them both a warm smile as a form of welcome. They place their orders and are asked to take a seat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to give Raj’s daughter?” Aman asks as they both sit. The girl places their order in front of them and leaves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know? We could get her some toys?” Kartik says. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes but what toy?” Aman wonders. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Barbie? Girls like barbies right?” Kartik offers and Aman just glares at him. The glare makes Kartik shut up which makes Aman giggle. Seeing Aman laugh, makes Kartik laugh as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two continue playfully arguing and laughing like the old times they used to have in this particular place. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>okay i really hope i did the song some justice with the plot. please let me know? </p><p>see you next time x</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>